I think a large part of this may be because I get a chance to play games with my wife and kids (aged 8 and 9) more than my buddies, but even still, I like elegant, compact games more than sprawling ones (though I have a few).

Anyone else like this?Anyone want to suggest some recent 'gateway' style games for me, since they seem to be my style?

I think a large part of this may be because I get a chance to play games with my wife and kids (aged 8 and 9) more than my buddies, but even still, I like elegant, compact games more than sprawling ones (though I have a few).

Anyone else like this?Anyone want to suggest some recent 'gateway' style games for me, since they seem to be my style?

No you should not. If you have fun and you find people to play "your games" with, just enjoy. For recent suggestions I would tell you my "gateway favorites" of past essen Kingdom Builder and Coney Island.

Can you name some of the more "sprawling" games you gave a try and did not like?

Not at all!The people I most enjoy playing games with are my parents, my girlfriend and a couple of good friends, none of whom would describe themselves as 'gamers'. There are lots of games I'd like to get to play but I reckon the games I will be playing the most for the next while will be gateway/family type games and I'm pretty happy with that

Me too. I've tried games with more components and long rules and they just leave me flat.Give me Carcasonne any day. Great little game, so simple yet with so many choices. I think this is the problem I have with many games, the mechanics clog up the fun.

I have been trading more and more of my games for gateway games. They just seem to be more social and in the end more FUN! The rules are easy to remember and easy to teach and the play time allows for multiple plays in an evening. You can never go wrong with Ticket to Ride, Medici, Ra or Stone Age. In addition, I have bringing 7 Wonders and Formula D should you have more than 6 players show up on game night.

The funny thing is - I research games before buying (for the most part), and so I end up liking most of the games I buy/play to some degree. Its just that the ones that require SO much care, SO much set up, SO much time, and are inconvenient to transport seem to have some strikes against them (on my own agenda, I realize) to begin with. I OWN Earth Reborn, and have heard its AMAZING, but I don't know if I'll ever get to play it!

I think when I was younger, a game with LOTS of 'bits', or took several hours to play was not a big deal - maybe even a positive. I really think that my lifestyle (married, kids, work, busy ) seem to, in part, help dictate my tastes (though I've always liked 'clever', 'elegant', streamlined gameplay)

Trend 1. Board gaming initially made a comeback thanks to the German interest in family-style games like those you are describing (e.g. Catan, Carc, El Grande, Ra, Through the Desert). When these games started gaining a niche popularity in the worlds largest economy (America) they got their name from their origin: "Eurogames" because they were based on principles American game design had been lacking.

Trend 2. However, something started to evolve in "Eurogames" as they increased in popularity: they grew wider decision trees, they became harder to calculate, became overtly focused on economic optimization and took longer to play (Caylus, Power Grid, Agricola, Le Harve). Eventually, we had to come up with new names. This led to re-branding the games in Trend 1 as "Gateway games". These new games we call "Eurogames" because they are MORE of what we like about the original Eurogames, and MOAR is always better--or so the thinking goes. We can ignore the fact that they are "thinky" or rehashing the same themes we saw in trend 1.

Trend 3. Well, if there's Eurogames, there's got to be American games right? lets call these "Ameritrash" cause they ooze theme and dice and player elimination. If you've played one Medieval Castle building game or a Renaissance themed game, you've played them all--or so the thinking goes. But you can never get enough space-empire building or fantasy themed games--or so the thinking goes. Plus, many of these are updates to games a handful people with poor hygiene liked 30 years ago...so...sounds fun!

Trend 4. Crossover games. If there's Eurogames and there are Ameritrash games, then you can take the principles of both and make something everyone will love (Alien Frontiers, Eclipse, A Few Acres of Snow). In fact, lets shrink the playtimes, too. In fact, these games aren't much different than Trend 1, they are just pushing boundaries in a way games already designed can't.

So no, you're not weird, you just know what you like and where in the spectrum of games you like them. You like the games that are the reason we all like games and have so many games to choose from.

Just ignore the marketing-influenced branding and keep liking what you like.

I've seen heaps of praise thrown at some games like Eclipse and Mage Knight Board Game recently, but I know that it won't fly with the people I usually play games with, and that I'd probably prefer to play several shorter games as well.

"What is best in Life? To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."

Dominion, Kingdom Builder, and Nefarious are all awesome!

I love gateway games and find that I can play them more then their heftier brothers (although they can be fun too). For one thing a bad gateway game tends to take half as long to play, so trying new ones can be less intimidating...

Well, if there's Eurogames, there's got to be American games right? lets call these "Ameritrash"...

If you're going to call a dice rolling luckfest Ameritrash then you need to call thinly disguised abstracts/worker placement borefests Eurotrash...tho I find both terms distasteful and insulting to those who enjoy each genre, but that's me.

To the OP, games are played because we have fun playing them, if your having fun then you are making the right choices. If someone thinks that there is a hierarchy in games (and gamers), they are missing the point for why we play.

If you ask me, the family who spends an evening playing Monopoly and has a good time doing it are more successful gamers than a group who spend a night fighting over rule interpretations of a complex game and leave it half finished and themselves frustrated.

Why hang your head in shame? There's a reason gateway games are gateway games and it has something to do with quality. Never ever try to be a second rate version of somebody else - always be a first rate version of yourself.

There will always be somebody who likes something more or less complicated or more or less American or Euro than you. Ask for advice and consider opinions, but never be cowed by those who think they are better than you, especially where games are concerned. You are meant to enjoy yourself, after all!

Go play and never feel the need to use the phrase "guilty pleasure"!

(a definite +1 for Stone Age, by the way - if you love accessible, well-designed, fun, tactical and involving board games - sorry, "gateways" - this will be right up your street!)